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Failure to feed - help?

4K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  sdkidaho 
#1 ·
I bought a Springfield Micro Compact and I took it out for the first time to shoot it this last weekend. I bought some Winchester target loads, round nose FMJ, and I had a few failure to feed problems. Not all of the rounds locked up, but some did. It was easy enough to clear - just lock the slide back, release the clip and clear the round.

I chaulked it up to the ammo - maybe the gun just didn't like it. So I get home tonight and figure I'll try a couple different types of ammo, some Federal and Winchester hollow points. Every round locks up as you try to feed it. Every one.

I have some pictures and maybe you guys can help me with it. I'm a novice when it comes to this pistol - I've never owned a 1911 and so I'm not sure what I need to do or check or what.

Here you can see that the slide tries to move forward but can't as the bullet isn't sliding up the ramp inside.


You can see the bullet here, it's still in the clip and starting to come out of the clip. I did try another clip just to make sure it wasn't the clip itself, though I guess I could have two faulty clips?


The next three shots you can see where the bullet is hanging up, at least I hope they are clear enough for you to tell.






This last shot you can see the ramp (I'm not sure if I'm using the right name for that part, I assume it's a feed ramp or something like that) and what appear to be ding marks on it from the bullets that are hanging up.


Do I just need to oil that ramp a little? Is there something else I need to adjust? Is the gun jacked up and I need to have it repaired?

I believe the gun is clean - it looks great, the slide moves easily and it did fire, with a few failures to feed of course with the round nose FMJ ammo. I didn't actually shoot any of the hollow points but rather just tested chambering them to see if it was the previous ammo causing the issue.

Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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#3 ·
I am calling it a simple extractor related problem.

Your extractor needs to be properly tensioned and tuned.

If the rear of the cartridge cannot move up into the extractor then the round cannot move up the ramp and into the barrel chamber.

It's a simple and inexpensive fix.

Why the makers do not even bother fine tuning the extractor anymore these days is beyond me. :confused:
 
#4 ·
Did you clean and lube the weapon prior to range trip if slide isn't cycling all the way to rear and is being impeded by friction or tight fitting slide etc.it may not have enough force to strip the round from the magazine and push it into the chamber
 
#5 ·
One more thing: you say that you experienced the problem with FMJ ammo, yet you're showing pictures with hollow point ammo. Model 1911 pistols in general can be REAL sensitive to hollow point ammo, and 3" or 3.5" barrel models can be even more sensitive. In addition to tuning the extractor, I would do the following:

1) Use a Q-tip and metal polish (Flitz, Simichrome, etc.) to polish the feed ramp and barrel throat.

2) Try different types of ammo, ESPECIALLY hollow point.

FWIW, my Kimber Pro CDP II won't feed Federal HST reliably. It seems to work fine with Speer GDHP, but if I carried it I'd probably switch to Corbon Power Ball just to be safe.
 
#6 ·
All good suggestions so far and good things to try. It also never hurts to use top quality mags. I prefer Wilson #47 or #47D's but Chip McCormick, Mec-gar and one or two others make great mags. You could also try changing out the springs in your current mags to Wolff brand, IMHO they're the best on the market.
Jack
 
#7 ·
The extractor would benefit a spot of adjusting. It would not hurt to have the breechface and the ramp polished. Personal rule of thumb- you should be able to wipe off most all carbon residue from both with a dry patch after firing. This generally means a tad more abrasion than Flitz.

Wilson mags will feed you a bit higher, and, with 99.99% certainty, I would say solve the problem. I would get polished & tuned now, so that you aren't totally dependant on mags you probably don't have yet.:wink:
 
#9 ·
My EMP had FTF using FMJ with the first 2-3 mags. After that I had no problems with FMJ ammo. But, I would have 2 FTF per mag with JHP ammo. First trip to the range I put about 200 rounds through it. I cleaned it very good and lubricated a little extra on my next trip to the range. 12 mags of FMJ with no problems. Then, I loaded up a mag with some Gold Dot +P 124 gr short barrel hollow points and had no problems with them. From everything that I have read, and from talking directly to Springfield, these guns need lots of lubricant during the break in period. Springfield suggested that I put a few more rounds through it to see if it clears up. So far, that seems to be the cure.

So, I would suggest keeping your Micro Compact pretty wet and run a couple hundred rounds of FMJ through it and see if things work better.

Good luck and good shooting.

Micky
 
#10 ·
Ok, so I have a few options:

  • Gun Smith
  • Extractor problem
  • Adjust extractor
  • Polish feed ramp, barrel throat and breech face
  • Clean and lube
  • Try different ammo
  • Try different mags: Wilson, McCormick or Mec-gar
  • Try different springs in current mags, Wolff brand
  • Break the gun in more

I will definitely keep the Gun Smith in mind, but if I can fix it myself I would like to try, if for no other reason than to familiarize myself with the gun better.

I'm going to have to look up what everything is for the gun because I'm not sure what some of it is or even how to do it, so maybe a Smith is what I'll have to do anyway.

Not sure how to adjust the extractor.

I can polish the feed ramp with the method suggested, as well as the breech face and barrel throat.

I should be able to clean and lube it without any problems.

I have tried three different types of ammo, one FMJ, and two HP. The FMJ was a Winchester, one of the HP's was Winchester and the other was Federal. I had the least amount of problems with the FMJ.

I can try different mags, but I'd like to see if I can fix it without those if for no other reason than I don't have the other mags right now.

Thanks guys - I appreciate your willingness to help me. Any and all advice is well received.




.
 
#17 ·
Ok, so I have a few options:

  • Gun Smith
  • Extractor problem
  • Adjust extractor
  • Polish feed ramp, barrel throat and breech face
  • Clean and lube
  • Try different ammo
  • Try different mags: Wilson, McCormick or Mec-gar
  • Try different springs in current mags, Wolff brand
  • Break the gun in more

I will definitely keep the Gun Smith in mind, but if I can fix it myself I would like to try, if for no other reason than to familiarize myself with the gun better.

I'm going to have to look up what everything is for the gun because I'm not sure what some of it is or even how to do it, so maybe a Smith is what I'll have to do anyway.

Not sure how to adjust the extractor.

I can polish the feed ramp with the method suggested, as well as the breech face and barrel throat.

I should be able to clean and lube it without any problems.

I have tried three different types of ammo, one FMJ, and two HP. The FMJ was a Winchester, one of the HP's was Winchester and the other was Federal. I had the least amount of problems with the FMJ.

I can try different mags, but I'd like to see if I can fix it without those if for no other reason than I don't have the other mags right now.

Thanks guys - I appreciate your willingness to help me. Any and all advice is well received.
By all means, start with the least expensive possibilities first, no need spending money that you might not have to. As far as a reference guide, I highly recommend Jerry Kuhnhausen's The Colt .45 Automatic: A Shop Manual, volume 1. It has everything you'll need to know to field strip, detail strip, clean and maintain your 1911 in top working order, including some of the basic repair work. You simply won't find a better reference manual. There's a volume 2 as well but that gets more into specialized gun smithing areas.

MidwayUSA - "The Colt .45 Automatic: A Shop Manual Volume 1" Book by Jerry Kuhnhausen

 
#13 ·
I only tested chambering the first round with the HP's and it was hanging up there, so I haven't actually fired it with the HP's, only the FMJ rounds.

I did try to chamber it with only four rounds in the mag, rather than all six, but with the same result. And again, that is with the HP's. The FMJ rounds did have success in firing but some did lock the gun up by failing to feed.




.
 
#14 ·
I find my SA Champ works well after I polished the feed ramp with a dremel soft tip and toothpaste. The Hyrashok HP's I use were hanging on the ramp occasionally. A little break in might have helped too.
 
#18 ·
Is the case rim under the extractor? If not, extractor tension or geometry might be the problem?

Before I attempted gunsmithing a pistol that I wasn't familiar with, I think I'd take advantage of Springfield's lifetime warranty and send it back. They pay shipping both ways. If the OP starts smithing the pistol, Springfield might be less inclined to fix it?

My guess is a tight, new gun and hollow points in combination with an extractor that needs re-tensioning.

Cloudpeak
 
#19 ·
There has been some good suggestions, but none of them will help. You can tune this and polish that, but if you continue to put a clip in that gun, it will never function properly. That gun is designed to use a magazine, not a clip.

Start by using a magazine to feed your ammo. If that doesn't work, try the other suggestions.
 
#22 ·
OK - enough with the magazine/clip comments. I'm certain that he "gets it" by now.

The thread topic is the firearm feed problem.
Fortunately I'm thick skinned. :smile:

I appreciate the help from the guys that freely give it. I'll update you guys when I get things worked out and let you know what I did to solve the issue.

Thanks again.
 
#21 ·
Does Springfield recommend a break-in process? Different brand, but my Kimber just took a while to break in because it was very tight when I bought it.

If you're under that number (if one is required) I'd just keep going through the break-in before tinkering with the pistol.
 
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